Game Plan: The Definitive Playbook for Selling in the Connection Culture

By Rusty Burson and Warren Barhorst

ABOUT GAME PLAN
Building relationships is essential in having a successful business. We are living in the connection era where there are a variety of ways to build relationships, but for some reason we feel we are more disconnected from each other than ever before. Barhorst uses real life examples, compelling facts and humor to teach life lessons and techniques for building lasting relationships that can last a lifetime.
Warren Barhorst is an entertaining, straightforward, smart entrepreneur that has an impressive, rare ability to teach you how to make your business and business relationships successful.
Barhorst was not the best athlete, but in 1988 he took down the Heisman Trophy Winner. He started his business career with practically nothing, and today he has built an empire of insurance agencies. He simply utilized and perfected his skills.
This is not an insurance book. Its an engaging, challenging, inspiring and entertaining book that shows the importance of connecting with people on a deeper level can enhance your business. If you have a vision grow your business and relationships to a new level, Game Plan will take you there. The principles in this book- along with the continually updated and accompanying website www.gameplanbook.com - have been tested in the real world. These are more than theories; they are proven recipes for success.
Following the step-by-step road map that Barhorst describes will take you beyond your wildest expectations. Some books are written to inform; this one is designed to transform you and your business to connect with others on a deeper level.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504953184

Rusty Burson

Rusty Burson is a native of the Pacific Northwest and currently lives in the city of Banks, Oregon. Aside from writing, his hobbies are fishing, camping, astronomy, singing, playing and writing music and riding his bicycle. He enjoys the simple things in life, like listening to the wind blowing through the trees, the sound of the ocean surf and listening to the music of nature. When asked what he hears, his usual answer is "I hear the universe singing to me."Rusty developed a passion for story telling shortly after college. Oh yes, his education. Rusty started his college years in the summer of 1969. What an experience! He was able to make it through alright, with only minor cuts and bruises. And for his efforts, he completed four years of education at Portland State University, Oregon, in only six years! Or was it seven? Well, what do you expect when you spend your time hustling pool and playing cards rather than attending classes. Anyway, six year is not bad for those crazy years don’t you think.Of course, 'all of the 'straights' did it faster, but they probably didn't have as much fun', Rusty has said. For his efforts, once he finally got kicked out of school and then found meaning for his life to continue his education, he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History, where he specialized in the History of Germany and the History of Christianity. He also had sub-specialty work in both Greek and Roman history.After college, Rusty went on to study at the well respected Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota and graduated with a Master of Divinity degree. One could say, given all of the writing that was involved in that part of the journey, that it was then that he began his writing career. But unfortunately, one can not say that. Regardless, he had to write a lot of papers! And that, not just as punishment for skiving off chapel to play pool or ping pong.Oddly enough, seminary was where he had his most challenging moments with regard to his faith. But, that is a story for another time.

Book preview

© 2015 Warren Barhorst; Rusty Burson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/12/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5049-5319-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-5320-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-5318-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015916890

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1

IF BOTH TEAMS ADJUST AT HALFTIME…THE TEAM THAT WANTS IT MORE ALWAYS WINS!

CHAPTER 2

WHY KNOWING YOUR CUSTOMER IS IMPORTANT

CHAPTER 3

CUSTOMER CONNECTION

CHAPTER 4

THE SECRET OF SALES SUCCESS IS GOING BACK TO THE BASICS…WAY, WAY BACK!

CHAPTER 5

DISTINGUISHING YOURSELF AMONG CUSTOMERS IS NOT HARD; JUST SUCK A LITTLE BIT LESS

CHAPTER 6

FIND YOUR TRIBE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

GAME PLAN

The Definitive Playbook For Selling In The Connection Culture

By Warren E. Barhorst with Rusty Burson

More detailed information about the

topics covered in this book is available at:

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The website is continually updated to provide the latest information, forms, instructions and tips to help you build or grow your business.

FOREWORD BY ADMIRED COACH JACKIE SHERRILL

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Former head football coach at Washington State, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M and Mississippi State

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Climbing onto the fourth stack of Aggie Bonfire on a cool November night in 1982, I gazed curiously—and then captivatingly—at the array of activity below me. Quite frankly, I was fascinated by the fanaticism, tantalized by the toughness of the students and captivated by the camaraderie.

As I continued to survey the surroundings and the passing of the Red Pots, students handed me pliers and provided instructions on how to wire the mammoth logs together on the 55-foot stack. Right then, I clearly understood their commitment to the cause.

Shortly thereafter, a thought also crossed my mind as if I was struck by a lightning bolt. What if I could find 10 of these Bonfire-building, reckless renegades, who were obviously willing to risk life and limb for Texas A&M, to run down on kickoff coverage?

What kind of positive marketing could we generate for A&M? What kind of raucous reaction would that create inside Kyle Field? How could we possibly honor the original 12th Man, E. King Gill, any better than pulling students out of the stands and suiting them up in uniform?

In essence, that’s how I conceptualized the 12th Man Kickoff Team that began in 1983, when more than 250 Aggies, including two women, showed up for the first tryout. The first 12th Man Kickoff Team debuted in a game on Sept. 3, 1983 against California—the team that in 1982 returned the famous, multilateral kickoff against Stanford and the Cardinal band for a game-winning touchdown.

Against the Golden Bears, the 12th Man Kickoff Team performed well, and it played exceptionally well all season, allowing just 13.1 yards per kickoff return. In fact, no opposing team managed to score a touchdown against the 12th Man Kickoff Team in its first seven years of existence, and the 12th Man Kickoff Team generated more positive publicity, excitement, camaraderie and energy than I could have ever initially imagined.

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Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University

Although it has been modified through the years, I’m delighted that the tradition continues even today. But what pleases me the most and causes me to beam with the greatest pride is to see how successful many of the participants on those teams have been in their professional and personal endeavors.

I could tell one uplifting and inspiring story after another about the impact those men have made on their families, their communities and their industries. One of those great 12th Man Kickoff Team success stories has been written by the author of this book, Warren Barhorst. And it is difficult to describe how honored I was when Warren first asked me to read an advance copy of this book and to provide a quote or two regarding my opinion of the book.

The reality is that I was so intrigued by his perspectives, entertained by his prose and inspired by his insights that I could not limit my thoughts to a quote or two. Hence the reason for the foreword.

I’ve always believed that one of the great long-term benefits of playing sports at an elite level is how it prepares young men and women for success in other fields, not just football fields or baseball fields. Most high school players don’t play in college ball, and most college players never make it to the pros. But the lessons learned on a football field can pave the way to great business successes from Wall Street to Main Street.

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That was one of the things that struck me as I read Warren’s powerful and relatable words of wisdom. He will readily admit that he thought about quitting the 12th Man Kickoff Team many times, especially when he was being knocked around and abused like a Department of Motor Vehicles crash dummy in practices by the bigger, faster and stronger scholarship athletes.

Yet, Warren ultimately focused more on his big dream—actually playing on Kyle Field and contributing to Texas A&M victories—than he allowed himself to contemplate quitting. Giving up crossed his mind, but it never exited his mouth.

VISION

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His vision enabled him to endure pain and difficult circumstances. His internal desire propelled him to persevere. And most of all, his foundation was so strong that he was able to weather any storms…on the football field and later in life as an entrepreneur.

The foundation is vital to success in any sport or business. Blind luck may result in temporary success, but without a great foundation, nothing will survive the test of time.

It was ever so clear to me as I read this book that Warren’s foundation is unshakeable. That’s what has enabled him to rise from walk-on to such a world-class entrepreneur. Year after year, he continues to build on his entrepreneurial empire, one floor after another because his foundation is so grounded, so stable, so firm and so unwavering.

His rock-solid core as a businessman—and a man—is composed of integrity, commitment, credibility and other uncompromising character traits that have propelled great leaders throughout generations. Times, technologies, strategies and industries change from one decade or century to another. But the foundations of success are the same now as they were hundreds of years ago.

Early in my career as the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh, I had the opportunity to meet, work with and learn from Paul J. Meyer, who founded Waco, Texas-based Success Motivation Institute (SMI) in 1960 and is universally credited as being the father of the modern self-improvement industry. Mr. Meyer, who died in 2009, was an amazing man who was all about establishing firm foundations. For example, the foundation of each SMI program is that, Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire and enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass.

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Like Warren, Mr. Meyer made his mark in the insurance industry. At age 25, he was the highest-paid insurance salesman in the country. By the time he turned 27, he was a millionaire. After making millions of dollars, though, he began to realize he was happiest when teaching others how to succeed by giving them a foundation for success.

Mr. Meyer began mentoring his insurance agents. At first, he gave them self-improvement books to read. But he soon discovered they did not retain the material merely from reading it. So he condensed a book’s premise and read it to them six times. That seemed to truly inspire the agents. He later learned a Harvard University study found that someone needs to hear a message six times before internalizing it.

From the time he opened SMI in 1960 until his death in 2009, SMI sales topped $3 billion and materials are now sold in more than 60 countries. His philosophies and strategies about establishing firm foundations propelled thousands upon thousands or people to success beyond what they imagined for themselves.

I know that because I am one of them. After I spent time around Mr. Meyer, I wrote my own program called, Building of a Champion. The basis of the program was the Four Ds. That represents desire, discipline, dedication and determination. I started with that foundation every January with a new team. The players would change. Assistant coaches would come and go. Offensive and defensive philosophies/alignments were modified over time, as well. But the foundation NEVER changed.

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It was after spending time with Mr. Meyer and making some of my own breakthrough realizations that I discovered that giving my players X’s and O’s was only a small part of the recipe for success. The larger ingredients were more important. I had to make it personal. I had to make my players touch, taste, feel and see the importance of establishing foundational excellence.

In hindsight, it’s no surprise that my levels of success as a football coach were directly tied to how deeply I instilled the foundations within my players.

My last three teams at Pittsburgh went a combined 33-3 before I left for A&M. Success in Aggieland was certainly no overnight affair. After my first three years in College Station, my record was 16-16-1 with no bowl appearances. Many critics believed I should have been fired, but I was confident that if I really focused on instilling the foundations within the players that we would be successful as soon as the entire locker room bought into the significance of developing a rock-solid core composed of things such as integrity, commitment, credibility and other uncompromising character traits.

It took three years for the full buy-in. But once that occurred, the Aggies won three consecutive Southwest Conference championships. Those victories were incredibly rewarding to me then and now. But what provided me with the greatest satisfaction was to share many of the same strategies that Mr. Meyer had shared with me and to see those young men begin to stretch themselves beyond what they previously viewed as barriers and limitations.

And that is why I am so excited to endorse this book. Warren has been extraordinarily successful as an entrepreneur. I could list many financial accomplishments, industry rewards and things of that nature to prove that. But I think the true measure of success in an individual is when he takes the focus off his own accolades and achievements and commits to helping others attain their goals and reach beyond their comfort zone.

I have long known that Warren is a great businessman, a devoted husband, a caring father, a tremendous boss, a savvy salesman and so forth. But after reading this book, I can also wholeheartedly attest that he is one helluva a coach.

He’s relatable, practical, enjoyable, witty, entertaining…and absolutely committed to helping you build and enhance an unshakable foundation for future success.

So read, enjoy, re-read, implement, internalize, strategize and prepare to pass it all on to others in the not too distant future.

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I practically guarantee that the ideas and concepts within this book will light a fire of inspiration within you as big and as bright as Aggie Bonfire once did for me. Good luck, Godspeed and GO FOR IT!

DEDICATION

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To my wife Lisa, for always being there when I need a boost. To my kids Spencer, Ashley and Shelby for always making fun of my stupid ideas and keeping it real. To David, my consulting work partner, who is always pushing me to new heights. And finally, to my team at Iscential for taking care of business so I can work on projects like this.

The key to getting things done is connecting people. Often I find that the right people are already in place, they just need to focus on the greater good to be energized, utilized and encouraged to work together. –Mile Atkins

‘What tribes are, is a very simple concept that goes back 50 million years. It’s about leading and connecting people and ideas. And it’s something that people have wanted forever." -Seth Godin

PREFACE

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GET STARTED

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Connecting: It’s In The DNA

In the grand scheme of things, I should probably be labeled anti-social when it comes to social media. While I’m certainly not opposed to social media or reluctant to embrace technological changes, I simply don’t spend much time thinking up creative, catchy status updates or trendy tweets. Nor am I interested in playing word games with friends or collecting imaginary farm animals with high school classmates. And I don’t think I’ll ever understand the obsession of checking in, so that every friend I know can keep tabs on my exact whereabouts. I doubt that even the visionary George Orwell could have imagined how many people would one day voluntarily report their every move to Big Brother.

However, having said all of that, I must admit that I am absolutely fascinated by the evolution of Facebook. Early in the fall of 2003, college student Mark Zuckerberg wrote CourseMatch, a rudimentary social networking website that allowed Harvard students to determine what courses their friends were taking. In October of that same year, an inebriated Zuckerberg wrote Facemash, which allowed students to rate fellow classmates as being either hot or not. By February of 2004, Zuckerberg launched Thefacebook, which was originally restricted to Harvard students. A month later, Facebook expanded to other universities, and by August of 2008, it had over 100 million users worldwide.

Less than three years later, on January 5, 2011, Facebook garnered 600 million users and by 2014, the social networking site had amassed more than 1.2 billion active profiles. Let’s put that into perspective. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the country’s total population is about 308.8 million, meaning Facebook’s user population is roughly four times the size of our country and still growing at phenomenally fast rates. Facebook, beyond it’s massive growth, has been the subject of a Hollywood movie and made an Initial Public Offering on Wall Street during May of 2012 for $38 per